Progressive brake and clutch.



No. 852,311. PATENTED APR.I30, 1907.

.G.'A. ABBEY. 'I PROGRESSIVE BRAKE AND CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 1904l PATENTED APR. 30, 1907. C. A. ARBEY.

PROGRESSIVE BRAKE AND CLUTCH.

APPLIUATION Fil-LED NOV. 22, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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No. 852.311. PATBNTBD APR. 30, 1907.

C. A. ABBEY.

PROGRESSIVE BRAKE AND GLUTGE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 1904.

3 SHEETS-BHEET 3.

PROGRESSIVE BRAKE AND CLUTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 30, 1907.

Application tiled November 22,1904. Serial No. 233.858.

To all wiz/0m, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES ALPHONSE ABBEY, a citizen of the Republic ofFrance, residing in Besanon, Doubs, 38 Rue Charles N odier, France, haveinvented certain Improvements in Ijrogressive Brakes and Clutches, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object a progressive brake, characterized bythe combination of a multiple disk brake with another brake of anysuitable kind, the said system also being equally applicable for use asa progressive clutch.

It is known that multiple disk brakes consist broadly of one or twoalternated series of disks or plates applied one against the other, thedisks of one series being'solid with the part to be braked, such as ashaft, wheel or the like, and the disks of the other series being solidwith a fixed part. If the disks are pressed together by ar appropriatemeans, those solid with the singt or the like to be braked in theirrotation rub against those which are solid -With the fixed part,` thisresulting in retarding or stopping the shaft in movement. The multipledisk brake thus constituted presents a certain defect which results fromthe fact that normally it is practically impossible to obviate allcontact of the disks one with the other, which gives rise to anextremely detrimental permanent resistance. This defect is not presentin the brake which forms the subject of this invention and Which isessentially characterized by the fact that when the brake is released,all the disks rotate together in one piece, the series of disks which isintended to be fixed be` ing locked only during thebraking operation. Aswill be hereinafter explained, this locking is effected, in thearrangements described by way of example, by means of a Second spiralorcone brake; it might, however, be effected by the employment of anyother method of braking or wedging known, provided that it issufficiently powerful. In the employment of the device as a clutch,thesecond brake serves to fix one of the two series of disks to thedriving or driven shaft.

The accompanying drawing shows a brake in accordance with the inventionand also two forms of clutch produced by the same means as thoseemployed or described herein for the brake. j I

Figures 1 and 2 represent a form of brake obtained by the combination ofmultiple disks with the form of brake which is termed either a helicalor spiral winding brake; Fig. l being an elevation in section at rightangles to the shaft to be braked, and Fig. 2 a diametral section. Figs.3 and 3@ represent specimen disks of each of the two series. Fig. 4shows a form of clutch obtained by the combination of the multiple diskswith a cone arrangement. Figs. 5 and /6 represent a form of clutchobtained by the combina-V vrigid with a free part E upon which a spiralbrake acts. These disks C and D are fitted to their respective supportsA and E by notches or mortises, in such a manner as to be capable ofdisplacement parallel with themselves, that is to say in thelongitudinal direction of the shaft. Y'

The part E forms a drum upon which is placed the connection F of aspiral brake, the extremity f of which is connected to a part G fixed toa suitable part of the framework of the engine the extremity f isconnected to an operating member I-I of any suitable kind. A part Isituated between a flange a of the part A and the fixed part G serves bymeans of its extremity t' as point of attachment or guide for theconnection or-operating part H. At various points on this part Iareprovided inclined surfaces i', i2 i3 serving to engage Withcorresponding inclined surfaces provided on the xed part G. Theoperating cable H passes over a'guide pulley carried by the part I.

The operation is as follows: Assuming the shaft to be rotating in thedirection X. Nurmally the part H is free, that is to say the spiralbrake F isreleased and the :inclined surfaces of the parts G and I' areengaged one in the other in such a manner that these parts adjoinforareiseparated b. their'minimum interval. The part 'A an the di'sks ofthe series C rotate with the shaft B to which they are connected. Thespiral brake being released, the art E and the disks D turn in one piecewit the part A and the disks C by IOO IIO

' disks C and D are pressed together.

disksof the 4series D being locked by theV reason ofthe adhesion due tothe contact of the disks one with the other. In order to effect braking,it is only necessary to exert a tractive effort upon the par-t H, thistraction taking place simultaneously Yon the extremity f of the spiralbrake Which it tends to displace in the directionX and upon the part EWhich carries 'the inclined surfaces, which part tends to move in thedirection Y.- The action upon the extremity f of the spiral brake.produces its application, the result being to immediatelylock the part Eand consequently the disks D. The action of the part H upon the part Icauses this latter to `rotate through a certain' angle in the direction'Y now, in this movement, the play of the inclined surfaces i, i2, 3 ofthe parts I and G produces the separation of these latter and as one ofthem rests on the portion a of the part A and the other upon the part E,this latter moves in the direction Z and tlle T e spiral brake itfollows that the disks C in rotating rub against those of. the series D,which thus oppose their movement and Iconsequently that of the shaft Bwhich it is desired t'o brake.

The intensity of the braking is so much the greater according as theeffort exerted on the actuating part is larger, that is to say itdepends upon the value of the compression of the disks C and D. Cntheother hand, as the power of the spiral brake increases at the sametime as that of the disk brake, since both are" acted upon by the sameoperating part, it is always certain that the spiral brake will resistthe displacement of the Vpart E u with its series of disks D which areintended to remain fixed during the braking. The release takes placewhen the actuating member H is no longer acted upon; the disks separateprogressively in ro ortion as the tension of the spiral bra e ecreases.The release is complete when the connection of this latter brake beingreleased, the part E with its disks D is able to resume its movement ofrotation. The locking of the part E maybe obtained by means of one ofthe many known forms of brake,V provided that it is sufficientlypowerful,and the compression of the disks may itself be obtained eitherwholly or in part, by numerous meansother than the employment of inclnesor helixes. Thus a compression spring may be employed and disengaged-atthe ,proper moment, or a counterweight, or one of the known centrifugalsagen iary brake may be formed whichwould act with a constant force whenone of the two series of disks was immobilized.

The action of compression may be retarded as desired by retarding thedisplacement of the part I (Fig. 1) by means of an antagonistic spring Jor in any other convenient manner. This spring would facilitate theloosening of the diskswhen the brake is not longer actuated. Incombining the disks brake with the double spiral brake, a reversiblebrake may be obtained, that is to say a brake actingin both directions.It should be noted that the method might be reversed, the' two series ofbrakes being normally locked and one of them being rendered solid withthe shaft in movement in order to effect braking. The point whichsupports the efort of braking, need not be absolutely fixed and itsdisplacement may be utilized for controlling another brake which may ormay not be mounted' upon the same shaft or upon a shaft solid with thefirst ornot. The nature and the form of the disks may vary as desired;these disks may even be replaced by a series of cones or more or lesssinuous surfaces.

The clutch represented in Fig. 4 and which is produced by thecombination of disks and a series of cones, consists broadly of apart A,solid with the shaft B to be driven. This part A carries a series ofdisks C interposed between the disks of anotherseries D carried by', aninc'asing part E; the disks are connected with the parts which are rigidwith A spring K', termedk the moderating sprin which is less powerfulthan they spriI serves to retard the compression'of the isks whenengagement takes'place and to facili-v tate disengagement of these samedisks when they are released. A fork L serves for effecting the releaseby nullifying the action of the spring I.

The device operates as follows: Normally when there is no engagement,the driving shaft H and the cone G rotate together, and the two seriesof disks, forming one piece, are at rest, as is also the shaft B.- /Inorder to produce engagement, it is-only necessary torrelease the forkLwhich takes the action of the sprin I. This latter then presses the partA in t e direction 7, and the said part acts upon the part E by theintermediary of the s ring ISI.b The cone VF', solid with the part.comes into engagement with the cone IOS' IIC

ISO

G which rotates with the shaft H. It follows that the cone F the part Eand the disks D begin to rotate immediately, with the cone G and theshaft H. the disks D drive by friction and progressively the disks C,the part A and the shaft, B. The .power with which the shaft B is drivenby the shaft H increases in proportion as the spring I extends, and itscompression action on the disks becomes greater. It follows from thisthat the shaft B is driven so much the more gradually as the compressionof the disks has been slower, that is to say this progressiveness may beregulated at will by means of the fork L.-

The engaging operation described above is in fact a braking of the shaftH, obtained by the means considered relatively to the brake, with thissingle difference that the shaft B, although it opposes a certain amountof resistance to being driven, does not constitute a fixed pointproperly so called.

Obviously the above operation might be reversed, and the shaft B mightbe the driving shaft, the shaft Il being the one which offersresistance. The braking action may be obtained rapidly or progressively,according to the manner in which the fork L acts; in any case, allfriction between the disks ceases as soon as the cones F and G arereleased. be converted into progressive clutches in order to do so it isonly necesssary to replace one of the two cones by a cone provided withthe system of disks, as shown in the cone F of Fig. 4.

The clutch represented in Figs. 5 and 6 is constituted by thecombination of the disks with a double helix acting by extension. Aseries of disks C2 is rigid with the driving shaft B2 by theintermediary of a cylinder A2 solid with the shaft The disks of theother series D2 are solid with an inner cylinder E2, which is normallyloose. In this arrangement, the helix F2, constituted by a doublewinding, is arranged within the cylinder E2 with which it is intended tobecome solid when engagement takesI place. This helix is able to act inboth directions; it being connected at its center f to the shaft H2. Thehelix is actuated by means of a cone G2 solid with E2, of another coneG", loose upon the shaft and of an engaging spring l2. The cone Gcarries a projection or tappet J2, arranged between the noses 4, f 2formed by the extremities of the helix F2. A fork L2 actuated in thedirection K2, prevents the concs G2 and G2 from engaging during theVperiod of release. The operation of this device is as follows: Assumingthe shaft B2 to be rotating in any direction. The apparatus beingdisengaged, the disks of both series will rotate together in one piecewith the cylinders A2 and E2 and the shaft B2. The double helix F2 isreleased and does not But in rotating,y

Existing cone clutches may readily touch the inner wall of they cylinderE2. This helix, as also the shaft H2 and.' the cone Gr3 are stationaryand entirely independent of the shaft B2. lf the fork L2 isreleased,'con sequently releasing the engaging spring I2, this latterwill press the cone G2 in the direction to cause it to engage with thecone G2 of the cylinder E2. Now as the cylinder E2 rotates with theshaft B2, it carries with it the cone G2, the tappet J2 of which'strikes against one of the noses f 4 or f 2 in which the helix F2terminates. This action of the tappet J2 upon the spirals of the helixF2 produces complete adhesion between this latter and the cylinder E2,and this by virtue 0f a well known phenomenon frequently employed inclutches. As the helix F2 is solid with the shaft H2, it follows thatthis latter tends to rotate with the cylinder E2 owing to the iniiuenceof the helix. Now, as the shaft H2 opposes a certain resistance tomovement and as the cylinder E2 is only rendered solid with the cylinderA2 by a relative adherence of the disks one with the other, considerableretardation of the cylinder is produced and slip between the two seriesof disks takes place; this slip ceases when engagement is complete, thatis to say when the spring I2 has caused the longitudinal displacement ofthe cylinder E2 by the intermediary of the cones. The compression of thedisks then attains its maximum and the shaft H2 runs. solid with theshaft B2. Disengagement is produced by abolishing the initial cause ofthe three successive engagements; of the cones, of the helix and of thedisks, that is to say the e'llect of the spring I2 is annulled by meansof the fork L2. The cones G2 and G3 abandon all solidarity, and tappetJ2 no longer producing any extension of the convolutions of the helix F2, this latter leaves the cylinder E2 which continues to rotate with thewhole constituted by the two series of disks -and the driving shaft B2.The helix may of course be controlled by any other frictionalarrangement or by any means e'mployed for actuating clutches or brakesbased upon the employement of the helix only.

In all the arrangements described above, whether it is a question of theemployment Vof the device as a brake or as a clutch, the

'uis cica or inertia are overcome solely by the friction of a certainnumber ofalter nated disks or plates which are pressed t0- gcther, withthis essential feature that apart from the operations of braking andengagement, the two series of disks form an assemblage or whole, whileat the moment of braking or engagement, one of the 4two series of disksis connected to the fixed point, in the case of employmgnt'as a brake,orto one of the two shafts in the case of use as a clutch, and this bymeans of a brake clutch,` wedging pr the like means of any appropriateknown iind;

-IOO

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What I claim and desireI to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United Statesis :--l

A rotating shaft and a set of friction disks carried thereby incombination with a mem- 5 ber to Which the shaft is to be connected up,

a part carrying a set of 'disks altern-ating' with those carried by theshaft, and means to press said disks together, With a friction brakemeans to clutch said second mentioned 1o disk-carrying part to themember to which the shaftis to be connected up, and'one' oper- .i

ating means tovtlnow both the brake and the disks into action.

In testimony whereof. I have signed myr name to this specification, inthe presence of x 5 tWo subscribing Witnesses.

CHARLES ALPHONSE ABBEY.

Witnesses GUsTAVE DUMONT, g ARCHIBALD R. BAKER.

